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As Chicago Bids for Games, Obama Ducks Olympics Criticism

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April 09, 2008 3:25 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Barack Obama doesn't seem to want to talk about the Olympics or Senator Clinton's call for a boycott of the opening ceremonies on August 8, 2008.

At a town hall in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Obama, D-Ill., was asked about U.S. policy toward Tibet and Darfur, especially in light of the forthcoming Olympics in Beijing this summer.

Obama has not followed Clinton's lead in calling for an opening ceremony boycott to protest China's human rights abuses in Tibet and Darfur.

"It's very hard to tell your banker that he's wrong," Obama said, after talking about the need to restore America's stance in the world, "And if we are running huge deficits and big national debts and we're borrowing money constantly from China, that gives us less leverage. It give us less leverage to talk about human rights, it also is giving us less leverage to talk about the uneven trading relationship that we have with China."

Obama never once mentioned the Olympic Games in his response. 

He did say the United States has not been "consistent enough and tough enough" toward "pushing (China) to deal with Tibet properly."

In a paper statement released on Monday, Obama said there "should be consequences" if the Chinese government does not take immediate steps to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people.

In reference to Sudan, Obama sounded a similar note, asserting, "We have to take a stronger stance. We have to take a stronger stance and it's got to be more consistent over time."

The junior Senator from Illinois has a particularly tricky balancing act when it comes to the subject of the Olympics: Chicago is vying to host the 2016 games and one of Obama's top campaign advisors and close friends, Valerie Jarrett, is the vice chair of Chicago's bid committee.

April 9, 2008 in Bush, George W., Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom, Veepstakes | Permalink | User Comments (349)

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stacy - Obama failed to lead as we all told you Obama groupies time and times again. Lay off the juice.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 9, 2008 4:03:28 PM

China would no sooner "call in their markers" than they would launch a nuclear attack on us. The Chinese may hold a great deal of the US debt, but our relationship is very symbiotic. They would not chance an all-out embargo of Chinese products, as that would cause their economy to crumble. Obama apparently doesn't understand this, so he obviously thinks we need to cow-tow to them. Failing to stand up to the Chinese government gets you only one thing - more of the same!

Posted by: Bob | Apr 9, 2008 4:04:45 PM

Senator Clinton made that comment for sheer political gain. No matter the pressure he gets, President Bush will be attending the opening ceremonies to the Olympic games.

Posted by: Megan | Apr 9, 2008 4:06:52 PM

Although I despise Obambi, I have been saying the same thing- no one criticized China when they were financing our deficit/debt-spending....why criticize them now?

Posted by: tony | Apr 9, 2008 4:06:55 PM

Clinton is doing anything to change peoples attention off of the news on her campaign...Her and Bills blunder.Hsu
And get the attention off of Penn And the Colombian Trade Deal which Bill
supports. And Now with the Wal mart tape that ABC bought were it shows her sitting quietly while they were fighting off the Unions.

This is where the (thick) rubber of the Clintons' financial entanglements hits the (icy) road of presidential politics. Huffington Post reports that Bill Clinton was paid $800,000 in 2005 by a group "tasked with bringing investment to the country and educating world leaders about the Colombia's business opportunities."

The Clinton campaign confirms the former president's support for the trade deal. "The acknowledgment adds new hurdles to the New York senator's bid to woo Democratic voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere who believe free trade agreements have eliminated thousands of U.S. jobs," the AP's Charles Babington writes.

Posted by: Lauren | Apr 9, 2008 4:09:33 PM

HILLARY OWES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND APOLOGY FOR HER POOR JUDGEMENTS THAT CAUSED US:

AMERICAN JOBS

AMERICAN SOLDIERS LIVES!

TO REWARD HER BY MAKING HER PRESIDENT WOULD BE AN INJUSTICE TO ALL THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE HAD TO BURY THEIR CHILDREN AND HAVE HAD TO STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET AFTER LOSING THEIR JOBS!

Posted by: THE FUTURE | Apr 9, 2008 4:10:14 PM

Why didn't NObama just say "present"!!!! .... that seems to be the only true stand he takes on anything important. NObama's history shows he is not a human rights activist ... he is a black activist!!

Posted by: Jesus Francisco Cardenas | Apr 9, 2008 4:10:41 PM

Obama is correct about China's being our banker. I heard Hillary make the same statement word for word months ago. This is just more proof that Obama doesn't have an independent thought. He reminds me so much of the republican puppet president that we have had for the last 8 years. The question is who is pulling Obama's strings??

Posted by: Firefighter | Apr 9, 2008 4:11:01 PM

Poor Obama, his lack of leadership and judgment are once again exposed. As a resident of the Chicago-area, I hope they lose the bid for the Olympics. If Obama is keeping his mouth shut about the China issue because he's "concerned" of any appearance of a "conflict of interest", he needs to be reminded of the reasons for the condemnation of China. Evidently since it doesn't affect him or his self-serving interests, he'll continue to be "silent".

Posted by: Terry | Apr 9, 2008 4:13:06 PM

Since we got into Iraq, it is China that has been feeding us. We cannot bite the hand that feeds us. We will go hungry. Hillary proposes stuff without thinking through, if you don't believe me look at the way she has run her campaign. She has poor judgment. We owe China alot of money, we are in no position to dictate terms to them. Obama is just brilliant on this one.

Posted by: Rose - Baltimore, MD | Apr 9, 2008 4:14:49 PM

Hillary shows leadership, Obama shows that he has a wet noodle for a backbone. Did Obama just claim that he is better at foreign policy than both Hillary and McCain? This is demonstrated of course by his forceful positions on...let's see...ummm...oh, yeah, he made a SPEECH against the Iraq war in...let's see...oh, yeah, 2002!! I'm voting present for the Olympics...no, umm, oooh, what to do, got to call Axelrod, or uh, Kennedy, or uh Kerry, umm, Pelosi was just in Tibet...arrrgh!!!

Posted by: rs | Apr 9, 2008 4:16:01 PM

Dogsoldier-

Weak!

Posted by: blls | Apr 9, 2008 4:17:17 PM

obama is a wuz

Posted by: scathinglybrilliant | Apr 9, 2008 4:19:37 PM

rs-

Obama just proved that American has a huge credibility problem! In case you missed it, read the article at the top!

YEAH, OBAMA GETS IT! He didn't have to mention the Olympics, because his statement addresses a whole lot more than the games...it addresses America's weak standing in the world.

AND IF YOU DIDN'T GET THAT...YOU GUYS ARE THE IDIOTS WHO HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE!

Posted by: jonathan | Apr 9, 2008 4:20:06 PM

I think all World leaders should attend ad then quietly and respectively say to the leader of China we will help you to help yourself getting untangled in the Sudan. And Tibet lets find a workable solution for all. Its called Compromise

Barack is in a tough spot being Ill. is in the running for 2016 games. I am sure if New York was in the running in 2016 she would be doing and saying the same thing

Posted by: Lauren | Apr 9, 2008 4:22:18 PM

blls - So what's Obama's stance on public financing now? You know, the public financing Obama promised if the republican side would do the same. McCain called Obama's bluff. Just another Obama lie McCain exposed and just another useless Obama promise made. We told you groupies over and over again.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 9, 2008 4:22:48 PM

Okay, folks....is this the person we need as president? He cannot, uh, make up, uh, his, uh, mind and take uh, stand. Give me a break, Obama....pack up your bag and go home. I think we need a strong person, a person who can make a stand and be heard. Certainly not, uh, Obama.

Posted by: dixiecharms | Apr 9, 2008 4:24:12 PM

And Hillary was in CHINA way before Pelosi spoke out, wasn't she? Hillary was speaking about human rights in China and continues to be consistent in her stance. As well, she has a PLAN to get us out of the debt we have with China and better/fairer trade agreements so that we owe them NOTHING. Obama opts to do and say absolutely nothing - and that's what he would do if he were President, which thankfully we will not have to worry about.

Posted by: Jenny | Apr 9, 2008 4:24:21 PM

Obama avoids taking a stand on anything that could actually define him. That way, his followers can continue to project whatever they believe onto him. When they figure that out, it will be too late, and they will be sorely disappointed.

Posted by: Jude from Saratoga Springs, NY | Apr 9, 2008 4:25:15 PM

jonathan - Obama addressed America's weak standing in the world? Didn't you read the article. Obama failed to address anything directly. China? Tibet? Durfur? Well it does take a weakling like Obama to project weakness.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 9, 2008 4:25:37 PM

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